Mast cells decrease renal fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction

Mast cells regulate both inflammatory responses and tissue repair in human diseases but there are conflicting reports on the role of these cells in the pathogenesis of various kidney diseases. Here we measured mast cell function in unilateral ureteral obstruction, a well-characterized model of renal fibrosis, using KitW/KitW−v mice genetically deficient in mast cells, wild-type mice, and deficient mice reconstituted by adoptive transfer with mast cells from the wild-type animals. Mast cell-deficient mice had higher levels of renal tubular damage, more stromal fibrosis, higher numbers of infiltrating ERHR3-positive macrophages and CD3-positive T cells, and higher tissue levels of profibrotic transforming growth factor-β1 than wild-type mice or mice reconstituted by adoptive transfer of mast cells 3 weeks after ureteral obstruction. Similarly, while wild-type and adoptively transferred mice had increased α-smooth muscle actin and decreased E-cadherin expression, which are indicators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, the obstructed kidneys of the mast cell–deficient mice had significant attenuation of those indicators. Thus, our study suggests that mast cells protect the kidney against fibrosis by modulation of inflammatory cell infiltration and by transforming growth factor-β1-driven epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions.